The election of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State as the Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum (SGF) on June 24, 2024 has continued to generate debate among stakeholders as they interrogate the governor’s readiness to see the assignment as a task to uplift the entire Southern...
The election of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State as the Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum on June 24, 2024 has continued to generate debate among stakeholders as they interrogate the governor’s readiness to see the assignment as a task to uplift the entire Southern NigeriaThe election of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State as the Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum on June 24, 2024 has continued to generate debate among stakeholders as they interrogate the governor’s readiness to see the...
The chairmanship of this forum has rotated among the geo-political zones, with each leader providing the desired leadership that will ensure citizens enjoy the dividends of democracy. “The Forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness, and unanimously agreed that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between southern and northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the south,” Akeredolusaid on behalf of the Southern Governors Forum .
On June 24, this year, 17 governors from the South assembled in Ogun State unanimously elected Governor Dapo Abiodun to succeed the late Akeredolu as Chairman of the SGF, while Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State was picked as his deputy. Unlike Akeredolu, who combined the leadership of both the SGF and Southwest Governorship Forum during one of the most turbulent periods in the Fourth Republic, when the Southern and Northern parts of the country were sharply divided politically, Abiodun may likely face more challenges over the excruciating economic policies of the Federal Government under the incumbent administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The National Assembly is currently discussing a number of bills that may possibly restructure the current governance system in Nigeria, which appear to favour the North against the South. It is incumbent on the current SGF leadership to ensure that all the southern federal lawmakers are properly coordinated and given the needed support towards achieving appropriate constitutional amendments to ensure true federalism.
The World Bank, after a recent assessment of the economy, noted that despite having the largest economy and population in Africa, Nigeria offers limited opportunities to most of its citizens. In 2021, after southern governors mooted the idea of power shift to the south in its ‘Asaba Declaration’, which was hosted by the then Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, but Okowa went on to become a running mate to a presidential aspirant from the north in 2022. .
The communiqué issued by the 17 southern governors at the end of their summit in Abeokuta showed clearly that the governors are purely focused on development. According to a political observer who didn’t want his name mentioned, the South-South region will want to support President Tinubu’s re-election because of the project with the understanding that another president from the North may jettison it.
The southern governors have other big plans. The forum plans to commission a regional multimodal transport master plan that would enhance “connectivity by rail, road, air, and water to enhance regional connectivity and facilitate the interstate and intra-region ease of doing business.” The forum also harped on fiscal federalism, just as it also discussed the issue of solid mineral exploration and exploitation, which today remains on the exclusive list in the constitution.
Many residents of Ogun believe that the incumbent governor has not done enough; hence he should focus on the responsibilities for which he was elected. The SGF, it is argued, should do what is absolutely necessary to reduce the poverty level in the region. Currently, poverty headcount rate in Nigeria is still very high.
He said Governor Abiodun is already putting plans in place to ensure that all Southern governors operate on a common front in whatever developmental policies that would benefit the South, adding that the forum under his leadership will ensure that the 17 southern states, henceforth, complement one another in areas of support, development and governance.
The governor’s aide also dismissed the fear that Abiodun may be too engrossed with governance in Ogun to effectively lead the forum. “This can never be a hindrance at all.”
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